DIY yard your wife will be happy at.

[belizesailor]

Find a good yard and get an AirBnB rental nearby....happy wife, happy life.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Find a good yard and get an AirBnB rental nearby....happy wife, happy life.

Uh Oh, someone didn't read the entire thread. LOL! I already got my hand slapped for voicing ideas and opinions.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Uh Oh, someone didn't read the entire thread. LOL! I already got my hand slapped for voicing ideas and opinions.

Solution: Dont want to hear the opinion of others then dont post on a public forum asking for input.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by squarpeg

Yeah, I am aware of that option. Actually she could just stay at home till I am done. However, that is not the question. The question is what yard might a woman feel comfortable in.

Only a few I have ever encountered across many countries. Not in OPs venue, but as an example: Shelter Bay Marina, Panama. Full service yard that allows DIY plus a nice hotel, resturant, swimming pool, convenience store, etc. Definately not the least cost option, but almost any wife should be comfy and happy there.

[j.g.evans]

I have stayed at Green Cove Springs Marina and Riverside Marina near Ft Pierce. This was more than 6 years ago so my information is dated. Both are good DIY marinas with terrible restrooms and lots of dust and dirt. While we worked on the boat we stayed in motels. My wife liked the motels off 95 in St Augustine which are surrounded by malls and restaurants. They were a 25 minute drive away from GCS. You will want a car at both marinas. I was able to get a deal at the motels for a long time stay, 10 days or more.
Reynolds Marina in GCS was mentioned. It is very nice for in water living. When I was there, adjacent Holland Marine did all dry storage and work. They were not a DIY marina.
Perhaps the money you save at these grubby DIY marinas will offset the price of a nice motel.

[hasse_A]

I would never let someone onboard doing any work. They always mess things up. At the moment I am staying on my daughters boat having to redo everything the "professionals" have done on her boat. Just one example: She had the yard replace the engine stands. The propeller shaft is a strait shaft and thus the engine needs hard stands or the aft bearing of the gearbox will be ruined. They mounted soft stands but they had actually aligned the engine correctly but did not evenly distribute the weight. 2 diagonally stand took most of the load. Thus, not only due to the soft stand this made the engine move even more, putting a lot of strain on the aft bearing of the gearbox. As a result the bearing was ruined and I had detach the gearbox from the engine, clean the inside from shavings and replace the bearing. There could have been even a more devastating result of these "professionals" work. As the engine was moving so violently the shaft seal was dislocated resulting in a considerable leak. The boat could have sunk if I had not been onboard. I had to dive down and stop the leak by wrapping bicycle tubing around the shaft and up onto the shaft tubing to stop the leak. I installed an Aquadrive to remedy the situation and kept the soft stand. Now the engine runs smoothly with much less vibration.
Attached is a picture of the ruined aft bearing in the gearbox.

[kvstein]

Most wives would not be happy at Green Cove Springs Marina although it is great for DIY. Sometimes we would get an AirBnB sometimes just tough it out. Many wives urge a move to Reynolds about 2 miles away but I have never been there so will not comment.

[merrydolphin]

My wife and I have stayed in many boat yards some pretty nice, some pretty bad.

I think rather than adjusting the boat yard to you. You need to adjust you to the boat yard. If you wife just tolerates the cruising life. Then find another solution. If its a month, rent a cheap apartment. Air band or even a cheap motel gets expensive quick. Maybe a room for rent even?

[squarpeg]

Mast is 46' feet so I don't think anything south of Green Cove is Possible.

[SAColes]

I can thoroughly recommend Power Boats in Chaguramas in Trinidad. (Your boat does NOT have to be a Power Boat in order to haul out there!) I hauled out there 5 times between 1999 and 2008 and I am booked to haul out there next month. Not being married I cannot guarantee that your wife will be happy there but my female crew members were quite satisfied with the arrangements. I can also recommend Port Napoleon in Port St Louis du Rhone in the South of France, Cleopatra Marina near Preveza in Greece and the Varadero yard in St Carles de la Rapita in Catalunya in Spain. Other yards I can recommend are at Docklands 5 in Whangarei in New Zealand, Pangkor Marina in Malaysia, Krabi Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Yacht Club Marina in Thailand. As you should have already realised none of these boatyards are in the USA and I sympathise with those readers here who are geographically restricted to that country.

[Gerrit Coetzee]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

I spent 2.5 weeks in Port St. Lucie while the boat was in Crackerboy Ft. Pierce. Its about 10 miles away so pretty quick to get there.

IDK what your whifes standards are, but PSL is essentially one giant strip mall, a paean to suburban american mediocre crass commercialism.

Also, there's no port in Port St. Lucie

What is meant with "there's no port in PSL"?

[squarpeg]

Originally Posted by Gerrit Coetzee

What is meant with "there's no port in PSL"?

I believe that is Port St. Lucie

[Craig_B]

Originally Posted by Flying Monkey

Green Cove Springs Marina is working hard to make improvements and is not too bad right now. There was a little New Years Eve party, and it seems like all the ladies were happy to be there; although, there might have been some hungover ones on New Years Day
There is a DIY yard in or near St Augustine as well.
Otherwise, may be make a run to Playboy marina in Fort Lauderdale. The catch with Playboy is that all bottom paints and stuff must be purchased at the yard. Prices are decent, unless you compare to a West Marine Pro price.

Tried to contact Green Cove. Website doesn't work. No replies.
Guess they are off the list.

[dalbright1963]

Originally Posted by squarpeg

Does anyone have any experience at this yard. Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage.

Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage is one of the finest boatyard in existence, in my opinion. Brady runs a very professional boat yard. If your repairs or project timeline is lengthy, you may get referred to J&R, nearby. J&R sees a lot of traffic and is a decent facility but doesn't make our list of great boatyard.

If you need to store your boat or have short-term projects, CHBS can't be beat and I would highly recommend. Some of the best contractors work at that yard. The location is a bit challenging, making your way up the shoaled creek but well worth it. Give them a ring and if they have a spot for you, take it.